Jenson Button 'excited' by Fernando Alonso talks at McLaren

Jenson Button (left) with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso (AP)

Jenson Button said today he is quite sure he will remain with McLaren for the foreseeable future, even though his contract extension has yet to be finalised and even if it meant having Fernando Alonso as a team-mate.

"There hasn't been a word, that's the honest truth," he said in response to questions about the McLaren management's discussions with the Spaniard, who left under a cloud at the end of 2007. "But I think it would be quite exciting. There are many team-mates in Formula One who I would be excited about working with, because of the way they work within a team."

Honda will not supply McLaren with their engine until 2015, but Button said he was confident his contract would be renewed and he looks forward to being part of the team's future.

"It is definitely not a doubt, just that things take a bit of time. Obviously there is a big change in the team – with Honda coming in – so it's just different and not a straightforward continuation. It's a different situation with partners. It may be to do with the funding, but I don't have a worry in the world about my future with this team. It's very exciting and I hope it's a long future."

Stressing that renewing his links with Honda was a big part of the attraction, Button added: "I still feel young at 33 and want to be around for longer. There are so many exciting new challenges and partnerships for this team in the future and I want to be a part of it."

While Button said he would not be troubled by a partnership with Alonso, he thought Kimi Raikkonen's deal to join the volatile Spaniard at Ferrari might generate fireworks. However, the Finn said he thought otherwise.

"I don't see the reason why it wouldn't work," Raikkonen claimed. "We are all old enough to know what we are doing. If there is something, I'm sure we can talk it through. It's not like we are 20-year old guys any more. I might be wrong, but time will tell. I'm pretty sure everything will be good.

"You always learn from different team-mates; maybe they do something better than you but often there are a lot of things that only suit one guy and it doesn't work if you try to do the same thing for yourself. I know the team, I know the people. I have no worries about going there and having something that wouldn't work."